Card-game appurtenance.



E. T. BURROWES.

CARD GAME APPURTENANCE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 10. 1916.

Patnted Aug. 21, 1917.

EDWARD '1. .BURROWES, OF PORTLAND, MAINE. I

CARD-GAME APPURTENANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 21, 1917 Application filed May .10, 1916. SerialNo. 96,574.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD T. BimRowr-s, a citizen of the United States, residing at Portland, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Card-Game Appurtenances, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This' invention relates to a'card game appurtenance and is designed and intended for use in connection with a surface or table used as a card table or board. It is a well known fact that when cards are played on a table top or playing surface much annoyance and trouble is experienced in attempt ing to pick or gather the cards from the surface.

In playing card games the cards representing a trick are usually thrown to the center of the table. A player then reaches forward and either attempts to gather them at the center or slides the trick to the edge of the table where the cards can be readily grasped.

Much annoyance is experienced in either case and the cards are often crimped, bent or damaged. It has been suggested heretofore to make the entire playing surface of the table or board of flexible materiahalso to roughen the surface so that the fingers can get below the cards at the center, but in using such devices the cards are very apt to be broken, bent or damaged.

The present invention comprehends broadly the provision of a card receiver intended for association with a table top or playing surface and of such proportion or size that it will occupy a central position on the surface leaving ample margin upon whlch the cards may be dealt, the cards played being deposited onto the device' The invention also comprehends generally a card receiver designed to be associated with a playing surface or table top and being so proportioned and constructed that it will accommodate a multiplicity of cards as the same are'played. The device maybe removed if desired from the surface or table top when the latter is to'be used for purposes other than that of card playing.

The invention may also be characterized as an ornamental and useful card playing appurtenance designed for association with a playing surface or table top.

More specifically stated, the invention comprehends a structure of a size to accommodate and receive a trick or a multiple of scattered cards when play-ed and from which they can be readilygathered, without bending, crimping or damaging.

The invention may be embodied in a great variety of forms, but in actual practice and tests it has been found desirable to so fashion the device that raised marginal portions thereof will be in proximity to the playing surface so that the thumb of the player gathering the trick from the device, will not project beneath the edge.

In the accompanying drawing the preferred and numerous modified forms are shown, but it is to be understood that the invention in its broadest aspect is not limited to a special construction, as the general principles involved herein can be embodied in many different. structural forms.

In the drawings;

Figure 1 is a section through the receiver;

Figs. 2, 8,4, and 5, illustrate modified forms of receivers designed for use in "connection with a card playing surface or tabie top.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, A represents a playing surface or table top. This may be of any desired construction,but one having the proportions of the now well known card table is preferred. These tables are approximately thirty inches square and the surface is either felt or other suitable material. Adapted to be arranged centrally of the table top is the card receiver 13, which is shown as being circular but which may obviously be of convenient or desired shape. The diameter of the receiver is. approximately eleven and one-half inches, but this is an arbitra dimension and the size may be varied if desired, it being however essential that the vdiameter of the receiver, as compared with the diameter of the playing surface should be "such as'to leave ample margin upon which the .cards can be dealt or distributed in the space between the receiver and the edge of the tabletop. A convenient construction of receiver is one which will possess sufficient surface area onthebasevto engage the table top in a manner to natur'ally and normally retain the receiver in its proper central position. r

In Figs. 1 and? of the drawings, anon struction is shown wherein a receiver is formed of two associated plate members, either of metal or other suitable material. The lower or base member C has a wide annular supporting flange or rib part D thereand the table top is what I shall term low-' lying it being less than the thickness of the thumb of the average person. One-fourth of an inch is suflicient, but this may be varied slightly if desired.

F designates the top plate which may be of any suitable material its central portion being substantially flat and smooth, while its marginal portions 6 are inclined upwardly from a point slightly back of the center of the supporting or flat rib part D of the receiver. The outer edges of the part 6 are beaded around the edge of the part D, as at e constituting a smooth finish for the edge of the receiver. Conveniently the bot tom plate is of a thicker gage of metal, if metal is employed, thanthe upper plate, so that there will be a substantial base portion and one which will possess a sufficient amount of weight to insure the maintenance of the receiver in its proper position on the table top. It is convenient to interpose between the two plates a filler F of cardboard, felt material or other suitable nonvibrating substance. This filler may be carried up into the edges of the receiver and serves to add weight to the device as well as to absorb vibrations. The top plate F may be properly decorated with suitable harmonizing colors or designs and is preferably smooth to avoid friction.

The inclination of the marginal portions 6 is relatively slight, as shown, so that the player when gathering the cards at the center of the receiver can slide them to and beyond the edge, causing the cards to incline slightly upward without bending. In this position the thumb can be readily placed under the cards and the latter removed from the receiver with but little trouble and with pronounced facility and without danger of tipping or moving the receiver by grasping the margin thereof.

In Fig. 3 there is shown a construction of receiver wherein the bottom plate member G is fiat throughout with the exception of its marginal portions g. These latter portions are bent up at an acute angle while the top plate portion H has its marginal part at a less angle, the angle of inclination starting from a point well inward from the angle portion 9 of the bottom plate. The structure thus formed constitutes a flat bottom receiver presenting a large frictional area which rests on the table top, while the points of bending of the marginal portions 9 constitutes a fulcrum for short leverage tending to resist tipping of the receiver should pressure be brought downward against the edges thereof.

In Fig. & is shown a single-piece structure having the general characteristics of the other features, differing therefrom however in that the receiver is formed with a single plate of any suitable material and has its edges bent downward, as at I, to form a surrounding supporting flange slightly inclined inwardly.

In Fig. 5 there is shown a form of receiver of the duplex plate type having in serted in its supporting flange part D a yielding substance, such as D This may be of felt, rubber or other suitable material which will tend to create a larger or greater frictional held between the top and the receiver.

An advantage of having a close contact between the playing surface and the supporting part of the receiver is that of preventing cards from being projected below the receiver.

While the sloping or inclined part or margin of the receiver is low-lying or slight, there will be left, however, a space between the extreme edge and the table top so that the receiver can be readily lifted from the table top when desired.

By having the margin of the receiver low-lying, which term is used to diiferen- 10G tlate from the usual plate or dish, there is the acquired advantage of compelling the player to grasp the cards only between the thumb and fingers without the danger of including the margin or edge of the receiver. The term low-lying" is therefore used in these specifications to define that particular feature having said advantage in the receiver described.

The top of the receiver is preferably 11g smooth and the inclination of the edge portion of the top is, as above suggested, very slight, being sufiicient only to elevate the edges of the cards to an extent that the thumb of the player can readily pass below 5 the cards in the act of gathering the same.

By the employment of the receiver the heretofore experienced annoyance of endeavoring to get the finger nails below the cards, the necessity of drawing the cards to the edge of the table, or bending the cards to secure a grasp, areall avoided, while the receiver constitutes an attractive adjunct to the table. I

The advantage of having the receiving surface of the receiver smooth is that the cards can be readily slipped to the edge without danger of breaking or bending.

Other advantages in connection with the use of the device will be appreciated. g

inclined marginal portion arranged to prevent the thumb of the player from entering therebelow during the gathering of the cards from the device.

2. As an article of manufacture, a device for receiving playing cards as they are played comprising a receiving member having a base supporting part, a flat central and a low-lying inclined marginal portion arranged to prevent the thumb of the player from entering therebelow during the gathering of the cards from the device.

3. A device for receiving cards as they are played comprising a base portion having.

a substantially wide supporting part for engaging a table top and a'card receiving portion having a substantially flat central part and a slightly raised low-lying inclined marginal portion arranged to prevent the thumb of the player from. entering therebelow during the gathering of the cards from the device.

at. A device for receiving cards as they are played comprising a receiver having a base plate part formed with upwardly inclined edges and a top receiving part formed with inclined edge portions beaded around the edges of the base portion.

5. A receiver for cards as they are played comprising two plate members having upwardly inclined marginal portions united at their margins, and an interposed filler part.

6. A receiver for receiving playing cards as they are played consisting of a base portion having an upwardly projecting inclined margin and a receiving top part having its margin inclined from a point inwardly of the plane of the inclination of the base part, and means for uniting the edges of the two parts.

7. A device for receiving cards as they are played consisting of a member having a base or supporting portion and a receiving or top portion, the margins of the two portions being inclined upwardly and united substantially as described.

8. In a device foruse on card tables for receiving playing cards as they are thrown toward the center of the table, comprising a tray-like structure having a card receiving part of an area sufficient to receive a multiple of cards as they are cast indiscriminately thereinto, the said device having a lowlying outwardly and upwardly extended inclined margin and a supporting portion adjacent the margin formed to prevent cards entering therebelow, the lowlying margin being so positioned with relation to the base that a player can readily cast a card into the device, collect the trick, move the cards up the inclined surface to a position where the projecting edges of the cards can be grasped between the fingers and-thumb without permitting the thumb to enter below the said margin, substantially as described.

In testimony I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD T. BURROVVES. I

Witnesses GEORGE H. WVnnKs, FREDERICK L. VARNEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

' Washington, D. 0. 

